Spicy Black Bean Kung Pao Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken thigh

• 1 yellow bell pepper

• 2 green onions

• 12 dried peppers (tianjin peppers, or similar)

• 2 stalks celery

• 1/2 medium white onion

• 1/4 cup raw peanuts

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 inch ginger (about 1 tbsp)

• Sichuan peppercorn

• vegetable oil

INGREDIENTS (marinade)

• 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)

• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 1 tbsp white pepper

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• kosher salt

INGREDIENTS (sauce)

• 2 tbsp black vinegar

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)

• 2 tbsp black bean sauce

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tbsp spicy chili crisp

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• water

PREP

• CRUSH and mince garlic, set aside

• FINE MINCE ginger, set aside

• LARGE DICE yellow bell pepper, set aside

• LARGE DICE onion, set aside

• SLICE celery, set saide

• SEPARATE greens and whites of the green onion

• SLICE the whites of the green onion into thin slices, then slice the greens on a bias, set saide

• LARGE DICE chicken thigh into 1 inch pieces, set aside

• COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside

• COMBINE corn starch with equal parts water until dissolved, set aside

• COMBINE chicken with marinade, and set aside

ON THE STOVE

• HEAT a wok as hot as possible, then add 4 tbsp vegetable oil, and long yao.

• ADD garlic, ginger, and whites of green onions, and bloom until fragrant, about 10-15 seconds

• ADD chicken to the wok and toss for 1-2 minutes until 80% cooked, then remove from the wok

• WIPE the wok down, add 4 tbsp vegetable oil to the wok and long yao

• ADD dried peppers to the wok and toss for 30 seconds, then add bell peppers, celery, and peanuts, and toss for 2 minutes

• ADD chicken back to the wok, then add onions, sauce, and corn starch slurry. Toss for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat

• FINISH with Sichuan peppercorn and greens of the green onions